The Toronto Marlies’ seven-week playoff run did not pay off in a title, but did buy the boys plenty of battlefield experience and a shorter summer.

In two months, they’ll be back at work, trying to beat out some incumbent Maple Leafs, most of whom didn’t play after April 7.

“I want our guys to understand what an amazing season they had,” coach Dallas Eakins said in the wake of a Calder Cup final sweep by the Norfolk Admirals.

“They fought through adversity, they bonded, they leaned on each other to have the expectation to win. I think we fostered an expectation to win here that I hope rubs off on our organization.

“It was ebb and flow. You saw guys really step up their game and saw a few fall off and try to get it back. Even for the guys who got into just a couple of games, I think the improvement in a short amount of time was amazing.”

Here’s a look at how certain Marlies fared in the AHL playoffs and how it could impact their chances of starting 2012-13 with the Leafs:

G Ben Scrivens

Erase Saturday’s

Game 4 blowout and his playoff record was 11-4-1 with a 1.73 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage. He helped the Marlies to the league’s team best GAA.

“He’s made it interesting,” Leaf general manager Brian Burke told Leafs TV on Saturday. “He’s in the hunt as a guy who might be able to play in the NHL as early as next year. He’s given us more to think about, more to worry about.”

Don’t expect Burke to stop looking for a veteran, but an emergency tandem of a healthy James Reimer and Scrivens looks less risky now.

D Korbinian Holzer

D Mark Fraser

Holzer is a player Eakins has been pushing the Leafs to use for a long time. He has a mean streak and partnered Fraser as the Marlies’ shutdown pairing, but the question is how effective they’ll be of separated. And defence is the one area where the big club is crowded, at least before Burke looks at salary cap and trades. With Dion Phaneuf, Luke Schenn, John-Michael Liles, Jake Gardiner, Cody Franson, Carl Gunnarsson and Mike Komisarek, there is no room to play Holzer or ex-Devil Fraser regularly right now.

D Jake Gardiner

A busy season saw Gardiner play 92 games with the Leafs and Marlies, quite the test for a player fresh out of college. Though he had fewer ‘wow’ moments on the rush, he learned some defence and will benefit from the long year when he gets back to the ACC.

RW Matt Frattin

He ended the playoffs as Toronto’s leading scorer with 10 goals, the last one an empty net train wreck that ended his season with knee surgery. But it wasn’t just that he scored — often on the fly by crossing to his opposite side — he showed a rogue physical side that delighted management. He must bring that in September. On a parent team crying out for scoring help, Frattin has put himself right in the mix.

C Nazem Kadri

The debate about whether he’s ready for prime time won’t end soon. After a streak of eight points in five playoff games, it’s a pity that an upper body injury took him out of the conference final and the Calder Cup. Once more, it will be his defensive play that dictates how long he stays a Leaf.

C Joe Colborne

Any criticism of his offensive struggles in the playoffs have to be qualified by how he played through a shattered finger that hampered him on faceoffs. But by his own admission, he must get bigger and play bigger if he hopes to take one of the jobs on what is now a wide-open battle at centre on the Leafs.

LW Jerry D’Amigo

Had eight goals and 12 points in playoffs and was a team-best plus-12. But the bearded wonder was marginalized in the final with other Toronto snipers by physical checking. With the right centre, he could have an impact at camp.

C Philippe Dupuis

Free agent should be brought back after atoning for his early season struggles with the Leafs by playing a vital role on the farm. Regular wingers Nicolas Deschamps and Marcel Mueller would miss him, as their own chances to get promoted could be helped by Dupuis staying a Marlie and a reserve with the Leafs.